Both Calgary Flames forwards were victorious in quarterfinal action in the tournament Thursday and advance to the semis Saturday with an opportunity to earn an appearance in the gold medal game. A semifinal loss results in the chance to compete for bronze.

Backlund had one assist in 19:43 of action to help lift Sweden to a 3-2 victory over Belarus. His tournament will continue with a semifinal showdown against Russia.

Hudler was held without a point but the Czech Republic prevailed 4-3 over Johnny Gaudreau and the United States in another quarterfinal matchup. Hudler was minus-1 with one shot in 13:29 of action in the win. The Czech Republic will face Finland in the other semifinal.

Gaudreau, who had three shots and finished plus-2 in the loss, led all US forwards with 21:36 of ice time. The 20-year-old finished the tournament with two goals and 10 points while averaging 17:06 of action in eight games.

Like Gaudreau, Sean Monahan’s tournament came to an end in the quarterfinal after Finland bested Canada 3-2. The 19-year-old recorded three shots in 5:16 of ice.